Life-Giving Words of Hope & Encouragement

Your phone buzzes, and there it is again, another comment, another rumor, another subtle dig dressed up as “concern.” You can feel the heat in your chest before you even finish reading. Part of you wants to defend yourself, set the record straight, make them regret it. Another part of you is simply tired. Tired of being misunderstood. Tired of carrying the sting. Tired of replaying the moment you realized they weren’t who you thought they were.

This is the exact place where Jesus meets us with a command that feels impossible at first: bless them.

Loving our friends is easy. Supporting those who support us feels natural. The challenge arrives when the “enemy” has a name, a face, a history, and access to our emotions. What do we do with the people who mistreat us, slander our name, betray our trust, or stand in the way of our progress?

Scripture calls us to a higher way, not because God is minimizing what happened to us, but because God is protecting what is happening in us.

God’s Way Over Our Way

Jesus says in Matthew 5:44, “But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (ESV)

That is not a suggestion. It is discipleship.

This command presses against our natural instincts. Everything in our flesh wants payback, or at least a front-row seat to their downfall. We want to be vindicated. We want the truth to be obvious. We want the pain to be acknowledged. Jesus does not pretend those desires are not real, but He refuses to let them rule us.

Loving your enemies does not mean approving of what they did. It does not mean calling evil “good,” or pretending the wound never happened. It means you refuse to let their sin shape your spirit. It means you stop handing them the steering wheel of your inner life.

Blessing is not denial. Blessing is surrender.

When you bless your enemies, you are placing the offense into God’s hands. You are saying, “Lord, You saw it. You know it. You judge rightly. I will not let bitterness build a home in my heart.”

Justice Matters, Bitterness Destroys

A common fear rises up when we talk about blessing enemies: “If I let this go, does that mean they ‘get away’ with it?”

God cares about justice more than you do. He just refuses to accomplish justice through the corrosion of your soul.

Romans 12:19 puts it plainly: “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’” (ESV)

Notice what this verse does not say. It does not say injustice is no big deal. It does not say consequences do not matter. It says vengeance is not your assignment.

There is a difference between discernment and revenge.

Discernment sets boundaries. Discernment tells the truth. Discernment refuses to be manipulated again. Revenge, on the other hand, keeps you chained to the offender, because your heart keeps reaching for repayment.

God does not ask you to carry the weight He was never asking you to hold.

Joseph, Betrayal, and the Long Game of God

Joseph’s story is a masterclass in blessing while bleeding.

His brothers betrayed him, sold him, and watched him disappear into slavery. Later he was falsely accused, imprisoned, and forgotten. Joseph had every human reason to become bitter, guarded, and cold. He could have decided, “I will never trust again.”

Instead, God kept forming Joseph’s heart while Joseph could not see the full map.

When Joseph finally stood in power and his brothers came needing mercy, he chose forgiveness. Genesis 50:20 captures Joseph’s perspective: “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.” (ESV)

Joseph did not minimize their evil, he named it. Yet he also refused to give their evil the final word.

This is one of the hidden miracles of blessing your enemies: it keeps you available for God’s destiny. Bitterness makes you smaller. Forgiveness makes you freer.

Joseph’s brothers could not stop Joseph’s calling, they could only create a painful route to it. God redeemed the route.

Forgiveness Is a Gift You Give Yourself

Forgiveness is often misunderstood. It is not saying, “What you did was fine.” It is saying, “What you did will not control me.”

Ephesians 4:32 says, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (ESV)

Forgiveness is not a feeling you wait for. It is a decision you make, sometimes repeatedly, as God heals the layers of the wound.

You may still remember. You may still grieve. You may still need boundaries. Forgiveness is not the removal of wisdom, it is the removal of poison.

Holding on to offense feels like strength at first, but it becomes a slow leak. It drains peace. It drains joy. It drains prayer. It keeps your mind running the same painful laps.

Forgiveness breaks the loop.

Practical Ways to Bless Your Enemies

Blessing does not have to be dramatic to be real. Often it begins quietly, in the place no one can see, inside your prayers and your words.

1) Pray for them.
This is where Jesus starts, because prayer changes the person praying. Begin honestly: “Lord, You know what they did. You know how it affected me. Heal me. Deal with them in Your way.” Then, when you can, ask God to draw them to repentance, to bring truth into their life, to lead them into salvation and wholeness.

You are not excusing their sin. You are inviting God to transform what sin has touched.

2) Guard your tongue.
Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” (ESV)

Refuse to keep the conflict alive through repeated retelling. That does not mean you never process pain, it means you do not partner with gossip, slander, or revenge-speech. Choose language that keeps your heart clean, even when your emotions feel messy.

3) Do good when God prompts you.
Romans 12:20 says, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.” (ESV)

This does not mean you place yourself back into harm’s way. It does mean that when God gives you a safe opportunity to respond with kindness, you obey. Kindness is not weakness. Kindness is strength under control.

4) Let God vindicate you.
Vindication is heavy. Let God carry it. When you stop chasing revenge, you make room for God’s justice and God’s promotion, in God’s timing.

The Blessing That Follows

Luke 6:35 says, “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great.” (ESV)

There is reward attached to obedience, not because God is bribing you, but because obedience positions your life under His covering. Blessing your enemies keeps your heart soft, your conscience clear, and your spirit unhooked from cycles of retaliation.

This is what many people miss: blessing an enemy is often less about changing them and more about preserving you.

It keeps your worship pure.
It keeps your future open.
It keeps your joy from being held hostage.

A Gentle Next Step

Think about the person who has been living rent-free in your mind. The one you rehearse conversations about. The one you wish would finally understand, apologize, or disappear.

Bring their name to God, not as a weapon, but as an offering.

Try this simple surrender prayer today:

“Lord, I release them to You. I release the right to get even. I release the need to be seen as right. Heal what they broke in me. Teach me Your love. Lead me in wisdom. Let my life stay free.”

You are not alone in this. Jesus is not asking you to do something He has not done. From the cross, He loved His enemies. He forgave while suffering. He entrusted justice to the Father.

The same Spirit who strengthened Jesus lives in you.

You can bless, even with a trembling voice.
You can forgive, even while healing.
You can walk forward, even with scars.

God is not building a bitter survivor. He is forming a free son, a free daughter, with a heart that looks like His.

Prayer:

Father, You see the wounds I carry. You know what was said, what was done, what was taken, and what still aches. Today I bring You my anger, my fear, and my desire for justice. I confess that I cannot love my enemies in my own strength. Fill me with Your Spirit. Teach me to pray for those who have hurt me. Guard my mouth from speaking death, and place Your words of life on my tongue. Give me wisdom for healthy boundaries, courage to obey You, and grace to forgive as You forgave me in Christ. I release revenge into Your hands. Heal my heart where bitterness tried to take root. Bless my life with peace, clean joy, and steady faith. Use this trial to shape me, not harden me. Make me more like Jesus. In His name, Amen.